


The Glass House

by moriartyismyking



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Allusions to Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-17
Updated: 2012-11-17
Packaged: 2017-11-18 21:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/565387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moriartyismyking/pseuds/moriartyismyking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard has lived all his life in a glass house, built on foundations of eggshells.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Glass House

Although Richard could swear that his father had built the house, it had actually been in the Moriarty family for untold generations. It looked much like any other house at first glance, but if you looked carefully, which nobody ever did, then you would have seen that it was a curious house, not made of bricks and mortar but made of glass upon a foundation of eggshells.

Growing up in the house was exhausting, there was always something to be wary of, something that threatened to shatter it into tiny shards. Of course Jim never learned how to play quietly inside the fragile house, he’d run through the halls, the eggshell foundations creaking beneath his weight and slam doors as he pleased, not caring that it made the walls shake around them all. It made Richard cringe. Jim knew what happened if you didn’t play nicely in the house, he didn’t need reminding. They’d both seen cracks appear in the walls before and Jim had been cut by jagged glass time and time again yet he didn’t seem to care. Richard was equal parts awed and disapproving of his brother’s careless behaviour. The house was a burden, he knew it as well as Jim did, but still, the rules had to be followed to the letter lest the whole house come crashing down around their ears.

He grew quite used to the house over the years and, when he finally reached adulthood he turned the handle to leave eager to feel the breeze against his face but the door wouldn’t open. He knew what Jim would have done in his place, he’d have rattled the door mercilessly, broken a window, anything rather than rot inside the glass house but Rich couldn’t do it. It was too ingrained, he couldn’t risk the safety of the house because the safety of the house was paramount and always would be. 

Sebastian tells him that the house needs to be levelled, asks Richard to let him tear it down pane by pane and Rich wants to let him but he can’t. The house keeps him safe and he’s afraid to be without it, in fact, he doesn’t even know who he is outside of the house. Nobody can free him, he’ll never trust anyone enough to let them because the house is the only protection he knows.


End file.
